Computer systems may include a number of native applications that perform a variety of tasks. Such native applications may include word processors, e-mail clients, media players, image or signal processing modules, file management tools, and the like. To operate efficiently, native applications are often written in a combination of general purpose programming languages such as C or C++ and low-level languages such as assembly language. Furthermore, native applications may have access to system resources such as graphics hardware, telephony hardware, camera hardware, sound cards, file systems, and network resources through various interfaces, such as application programming interfaces (APIs). Consequently, native applications may provide resource-specific features to users of computer systems on which the native applications are installed.
Web applications are software applications that are typically written in a scripting language that can be accessed via a web browser. Web applications can be embedded in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) web pages and have become a popular tool for web designers and developers to help create a rich experience for users. Some example web applications include e-mail, calendar, auctions, sales, and customer support among many others.
Although web applications have become more and more prevalent and interactive in recent years, security protocols generally restrict their ability to natively access low-level system resources, and as such, native applications are often used in cases where access to such system resources is utilized. Browsers may include extensions or special APIs that provide such access to system resources, but these extensions and APIs are not present in a standard browser. Furthermore, development of such extensions and APIs can often be time-consuming and may tie the web application to a particular platform.